home-cooking

15 Delicious Healthy Recipes to Help You Ease into a Clean New Year

New Year's Resolutions can be tough, what with the dessert leftovers, tempting cocktails, and heavy cold weather food. However, with a bit of willpower and some time in the kitchen, your standard go-to recipes can get a healthy makeover so you don't have to sacrifice anything you love.

We're here to make those resolutions easier with some of our own delicious and healthy recipes that won't make it feel like you're giving something up.

1. Whole Wheat Banana Pancakes

Reading about the benefits of bananas, it's a wonder we don't all have super powers. Thanks to being fiber dense and filling, they're weight loss friendly as well as full of potassium, vitamin B6, among other healthy nutrients.

Mash them into these easy to whip up whole wheat bananas and you'll have a breakfast that will fuel you through the new year. Find the recipe here.

2. Lemon Roasted Rosemary Chicken

Herbs are one of the greatest secrets of weight loss. They add a big punch of flavor without increasing the fat. This savory lemon rosemary roasted chicken works well as a lean protein supplement to vegetable or grain heavy dishes.

4. Ham and Bean Soup

Soups are also tops for packing a lot of ingredients into a single dish. This ham and bean soup is full of vegetables and is hearty enough to get you through those cold winter nights. It's also a great thing to make with leftovers!

5. Lemon Tea

It's surprising how many calories sneak into the drinks we sip throughout the day. But it's also surprisingly hard to quit thinks like soda cold turkey. Water's just kind of boring. Make up for it with flavor. Cut some of the sugar from this lemon tea recipe and you've got a flavorful and refreshing soda alternative.

6. Hidden Cauliflower Mac and Cheese

Salads and roasted vegetables are nice, but sometimes you want to eat healthy without feeling like you're eating healthy. This creamy, cheddar mac-n-cheese cuts the calories by using the creaminess of cauliflower to cut down on the actual cream in the dish.

9. Homemade Granola

Figuring out homemade granola is like leveling up in the kitchen. It's much more cost effective than store bought, and you can customize the flavors. That makes it perfect as a healthy snack or breakfast since you can make it as protein dense and nutrient rich as you'd like.

Thanks to the "three sisters" (corn, beans, and squash), this dish has a complete protein even without the bacon. Succotash is a hearty, savory sautéed dish that practically makes you forget it's basically a salad.

11. Slow Cooker Charro Beans

Our slow cooker charro beans, like soups and salads, pack a punch when it comes to nutritional variety and flavor. These hearty beans are filling and make for a great dish on their own, or a wonderful side.

12. Chickpea and Kale Salad

Sautéed salads feel so much more substantial than fresh greens do, and this chickpea and kale salad is no exception. Kale's already got a great reputation, but chickpeas are the secret star here. Often considered by nutritionists as both a protein and a vegetable, they're packed with protein, fiber, dietary iron, and an abundance of other nutrients.

13. Spaghetti Squash Sloppy Joe

14. Roasted Sweet Potato and Brussel Sprouts

Sweet potatoes are amazing even without brown sugar and butter. Paired with the cabbage-y flavor of Brussels sprouts, the nuttiness of pecans, and the tanginess of feta, this balanced roast vegetable dish is the stuff of dreams.

15. Farro Salad with Beets

Beets have some of the highest concentrations of vitamins and minerals of any vegetable, and thanks to their sweet taste, they're also known as "nature's candy." Combined with the ancient grain farro, you get a sweet-savory, tart, and nutrient packed sautéed dish that works excellently as a side or even an entrée.